competency based training in Australia
Dear Andy,
thank you for defining all the things which
competency isn't.
Dear Peggy,
allow me to articulate competency for
you.
In Australia, all training is competency-based.
Universities, which provide Education, not Training, have therefore
excluded themselves from this principle. To understand the difference between
education and training, consider the difference between sex education and sex
training......
Standards of competency (called Training Packages)
are defined for all occupations, except professions (i.e. university graduates),
and these standards have been adopted nationally. The components of competency,
common to all occupations, are:
task skills the
demonstration of an acceptable level of skill in the performance of a
task
task management
skills the ability to manage a number of different
tasks within the job
contingency
skills the appropriate response or reaction to
unforeseen problems or changed circumstances
job/role environment
skills fulfilling workplace expectations and
responsibility
transfer skills
applying the skill to different situations
Key competencies are embedded in all training
packages. They are:
- collecting, analysing and organising
information
- communicating ideas and information
- planning and organising activities
- working with others in teams
- using mathematical ideas and
techniques
- solving problems
- using technology
In competency-based assessment, evidence is
gathered from the candidate in order to determine whether the desired standards
for workplace performance have been met. The evidence collected must
be
- valid
the performance assessment confirms the competency
standard
- reliable the
assessment consistently measures the standard from candidate to candidate, and
from assessor to assessor
- authentic
actually measures the candidate's performance
- current
indicates recent performance
- sufficient
there is enough to conclude that competence has been achieved
It is important to understand that there is no
concept of passing or failing in competency-based assessment. Candidates are
either competent or not yet competent. There are no degrees of competence - you
either are, or you need more training or practice. Perpetual reaffirmations of
competence are pointless and unnecessary.
The Histotechnology Group of NSW has successfully
implemented a competency-based Training and Assessment program in
Histotechnology during 2002, the details of which I would be delighted to
discuss with any interested reader.
hooroo,
Richard Hazelton.
Histotechs - the brains behind the stains
!
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